On the road with New York Mets, boos remind Gary Sheffield of his past

Jeff Chiu/Associated PressGary Sheffield played for seven major league teams before the Mets -- and still draws ire from many of their fans.

MILWAUKEE -- They booed him from the moment his name was called during pre-game introductions. They taunted him when he stood in left field. And they booed him some more each time he came to the plate.

Gary Sheffield was met with impassioned hostility during the Mets' three-game series against the Brewers that concluded Wednesday at Miller Park. And he barely seemed to notice. After all, the jeers were nothing new.

Sheffield has been booed loudly in several stadiums this season, a constant reminder of the bad will he has left behind in cities where he once played.

Eighteen years have passed since Sheffield last played for the Brewers, longer than Brett Favre's entire tenure in Green Bay, yet he is still treated like a public enemy here. Only a day off Wednesday spared him from more boos.

"It's just a lot of things been said I've heard a million times," Sheffield said. "What they're saying about me, that's the same thing I think about them."

Of his time in Milwaukee, Sheffield said, "That was so long ago, I forgot I was here."

But Brewers fans still remember. So do Braves fans, who booed Sheffield at Turner Field. And Dodgers fans, who booed him at Dodger Stadium.

He is the rare player who is booed at both Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium. Red Sox fans loathed him during his time in pinstripes, which included a scuffle between Sheffield and a fan during one game in Boston. And Yankees fans booed him -- albeit more mildly than in other cities -- during the Subway Series, having soured on him when he accused Joe Torre of racism in 2007.

At Citi Field, Mets fans have greeted Sheffield warmly since he signed with the team just before Opening Day. And he seems to have fit in well in the Mets clubhouse, quelling concerns that he would be a distraction. But on the road, there are reminders of what prompted those concerns in the first place.

Milwaukee is where it started. In short, Sheffield had bad relationships with the people around him, hated the city and later suggested he tanked plays on purpose. That, and his increase in production after being traded to the Padres in 1992, infuriated Brewers fans.

"The extreme, prolonged dislike for Sheffield is moderately unusual for Brewer fans, but Sheffield's run as a Brewer was also somewhat unusual," said Kyle Lobner, who runs a popular fan blog called Brew Crew Ball. "A lot of Sheffield's transgressions might have been forgiven or forgotten if he had left and been a model teammate somewhere else, but he really hasn't done much to shed the 'malcontent' label."

The issues between Sheffield and the teams he has played for have varied. But most have involved him feeling disrespected, criticizing the manager or general manager and, sooner or later, wearing out his welcome.

Now, at age 40, as he nears the end of a career that has included stints with eight teams, Sheffield is disliked in many places the Mets play. But he does not acknowledge the reasons behind the boos.

The way he sees it, that's just what happens when you play for the opposing team. He said other players of his stature get much worse treatment around baseball, though when asked to name one, he declined.

Even if he is booed more vigorously than most players, Sheffield said that is merely a reflection of his achievements, not any misdeeds.

"I've always been told by my granddaddy that if you can get a reaction out of people without hitting a ball or throwing a ball, you're somebody," Sheffield said. "So that's how I've always looked at it. Whether you hit it or didn't hit it, if you can get a reaction out of them, that's something."